


The Shadow of the Collectors

by RandomMagicalCat



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect - Various Authors
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-20
Updated: 2019-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:21:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21876556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RandomMagicalCat/pseuds/RandomMagicalCat
Summary: After the terrible First Contact War, a tension can still be felt even within the Council and its associates. However, a new threat is advancing in the Milky Way, slowly and steadily. The Turian Hierarchy decides, independently of the Council, to investigate. The ninth Platoon is sent to the pursuit of the mysterious Collectors, but how will this encounter turn out ?
Relationships: Original Female Turian Character(s) & Original Male Turian Character(s)
Collections: Mass Effect





	The Shadow of the Collectors

**Author's Note:**

> Before you read this, one or two things I want to tell you :
> 
> 1 - I'm not English, so forgive me the mistakes I can do writing this fic.  
> 2 - Don't hesitate to give me a feedback, I can hear all critics, good or bad.

“How was he?  
_ He was cold to me, and even to my mom. Since my birth I have really talked to him – like seriously, not casually – no more than five times. I can’t describe him correctly, so few knew him well enough. Even if my mother did, she did not tell me a thing.  
_ Didn’t he leave you some audio logs?  
_ I don’t want to hear that. I don’t want to hear him saying that he cared. That would be a lie. And I never heard him lying. Not a single time, and his honesty was surely the only thing that would make him a good person. No, his insensitivity, his carelessness, that’s already enough.  
_ Hear it. If he didn’t leave you any good thing even through those logs, then things will remain the same, and if it’s something that reach you, then it could only get better.  
_ You’re right…  
_ Shall I leave you alone?  
_ Nah, stay. And…  
_ What?  
_ Don’t ever leave me. Too many already did, knowingly or not.”

Her mandibles spread a bit and she gave him the data pad containing the audio logs.

“ID 5448A, audio log 34-7, entry one.”

He could only hear static for a few seconds, and then someone started talking.

“My son. I don’t know if you would ever listen to this after those years of negligence. I heard you made it through a whole year of military service carrying again my name with those of heroes. You may be like me after all. But that’s not why I am recording this. It’s been a long time since we met. And I really could not be here for her that time. I loved her as you did, and as you surely still do. But you won’t let all this put you down. I have some tracks for those you are looking for if that can bring you respite, even if it barely can. I keep looking at you more often than you know and I’m proud. And I hope you are too, because you more than anyone, deserve to be proud of what you are and what you’ve become. Your name will always be admired, but soon it won’t be because of me. I would be happy to try to keep in touch with you if you desire it but know that I can live without. The choice remains yours. Entry one, end.”

\------------------------------

Solar day March 16th, 2177  
Irune, Volus Homeworld  
Cruiser Redemption, low orbit

The cruiser was in orbit and the bridges looked like an anthill. Decter just finished to put on his equipment, that he learnt to use. A Phaeton assault rifle for close combat and a M-98 Widow for long shots. Also, a bunch of grenades, but he never really used them. Most of his active missions was infiltration and remaining undetected was almost natural for him. For the first time he was sent to the front. Since an attack of mercenaries eight solar days ago, his legion was sent to take back the colony. He was affected to the unit Spartan-5, under the Lieutenant Receion. His whole unit took a shuttle to enter the highly pressurized atmosphere, and the most difficult was reaching the mass effect field dome reducing atmospheric pressure around the colony. This system required the best turian engineers and scientists to achieve, but having a colony on Irune was a good way to keep control onto their Volus vassals.

He could feel the hull shaking as the shuttle accelerated through the atmosphere. After three minutes, they finally decelerated, and they could see the city burning on the screens. His superior started to talk:

“All right soldiers, the Spartan cohort have been affected to the retaking of the West sector of the colony. Spartan-1 to Spartan-4 will clean most of the mess, but we are the first to land. Our enemies are entrenched into the armoury and we must provide a distraction for the other teams. Any questions? No? Good. Corporal, I must count on your sniper talents”, he says looking at Decter. “We need eyes, and damn good ones on the top to cover our progression. Achados, take him and Viter, get a high place to cover us.  
_ Yes, sir!”

As the shuttle gets close to the ground, it takes less hits. They feel the shock of the landing and the doors open. They are in what seems to be an avenue. Most of the squad follows Receion through it. For the moment, no hostiles. Achados leads Decter into a small street leading to a sort of plaza. Absolute silence. They were looking at every corner as they were taught. A bullet grazes Decter, and multiple people are firing at them. They find cover behind some rumble at the centre of the plaza. Achados shouts to Decter through the gunfires:

“Corporal! How many?!  
_ About 15 infantry soldiers and one heavy gunner! We won’t last long!  
_ Can you take the gunner down?!  
_ We have to move out!  
_ Right! Take the gunner down and we get to the warehouse, that’s the fastest way to the roofs!  
_ Roger that! Distract him for two seconds and I’ll take him out!  
_ 3…2…1…”

Achados gets up and raises a biotic barrier in front of him, surprising his two mates. But this wasn’t a time to be distracted for Decter. He put his sniper rifle on the stone and pulled the trigger. A second later, the machinegun shoots stops. Then, they ran to the door of the warehouse. Once they had closed and blocked the door behind them, they were relatively safe for the moment.  
A noise. Footsteps. Those were coming from upstairs. Achados pointed a latter to climb for Decter and ordered Viter to follow him. With extreme precaution, the turian walked to it and started climbing. Almost at the top, he could see the shadow of the target. He silently walked upon him and violently started to strangle him with his arm. A few seconds later, the suffocation ceased. Arriving, Achados could see the OmniTool’s blade across the men’s thorax. A nod, and Decter let go and follows the sergeant. A last stair before reaching the top of the building. They went up to it, nothing so far. They finally reached the sunlight, and they stopped moving.

“Corporal, go check the other access to the roof. We’re going to install the equipment and spot any target. I just received a communication from Receion, they are moving.”

Decter advanced with caution, but something was wrong. Since the ambush, they had only encountered a single hostile, and the invaders were supposedly knowing they were in that building. What were they doing? He arrived at the door he was supposed to check. A movement on roof at the opposite of the road. He gets his sniper rifle and point it at him. It disappears. A hologram. The door opens. He had almost no time to react. A shoot to the face. He was still conscious, realizing it was a shotgun hit. Decter try to seem dead, but it doesn’t work. The man points his gun to finish the turian but receives a thrown sword at the abdomen. A few seconds later, another sword comes piercing his throat. It was held by a turian this time. Achados looked at his knocked down companion with anxiety.

“Shit. Viter, call a evac for him. I’ll try to take the shots.  
_ I’m good, really, said Decter to the sergeant, grabbing his arm. I can still shoot right.”

He got up and was a little dazed but went near the equipment and posed his rifle. Achados and Viter looked at him, totally unsettled. What was happening ? Decter looks at his OmniTools notifying him a health alert. It shows him his head. It was bleeding a bit. A part of the carapace on his head – at the back of it – was gone. Also, his chin was hurt. But it was benign for the moments. He simply ignored it and was ready to shoot. 

“Sergeant, on your command.”

Even with this, his shots remained perfect. Their squad was moving fast toward the armoury. But at a moment, when Achados ordered him to shoot, Decter didn’t. He wasn’t moving. Unconscious.

He woke up laying on a bed and looked all around him. He could barely read “Redemption”, his affection cruiser. He was sure then, it was the medbay. He tried to get off the bed and walk but he fell as he tried to use his legs. The medic runs at him to get him back on his bed. Decter asked what happened, and his carer explained him how he fell unconscious on the roof and remind him how many lives he saved. The colony was safe.

Later, he insisted to fight again with the sergeant Achados and the corporal Viter at his side. His request was half accepted. However, the corporal was affected to another unit, where he could develop his melee skills. Decter and Hector became very close friends, and, in 2178, integrated together the turian 9th Platoon, following the captain Receion who joined it only a month after the operation on Irune.

\------------------------------

“See? That wasn’t that hard.  
_ I don’t want to hear the second entry.  
_ Why?  
_ This brings too much… of my mom back to my mind. Sometimes I try to convince myself that she’s still here. Just… gone somewhere else. But anyway. I don’t need to hear his pity for what happened to me on Irune. I should have known.  
_ What do you know of that log?  
_ The recording day. A week after I integrated the platoon.  
_ C’mon… do it for me at least.  
_ Really?  
_ It’s for you, and I want the better for you. You know it… more than anyone.  
_ Right. ID 5448A, audio log 34-7, entry two.”

Decter sighs, but he feels her arm wrapping around him. It helps him to support it. A bit.

“I heard of your exploits, but don’t get full of yourself. I know who they are tracking, the tough part is in front of you. Going after the Collectors is a risky thing. I hope you’re ready. But beware son, things are moving around all of us. Faster than we realize. I’m first on the field to fight them, for our freedom. But without doing anything, we may lose it soon. Entry two, end.”

\------------------------------

Solar day June 2nd, 2179  
Millin, turian administrated planet, Athens system, Horse Head Nebula cluster  
Site B, Prothean ruins

“Lieutenant, this is Captain Receion speaking. We’ve got human outsiders on this site; they may have found what we were looking for. If it is so, you must take it by any means. Live fire is the last option, there is still a great wound for our people and theirs after the war and it’s not healed yet. Receion, out.”

He was accompanied by Hector Achados and Nera Tellius, one of the recent recruitments of the Platoon. As Viter, she wasn’t yielding fire weapons but two swords, and she even had developed a spear, which could return to her hand after throwing it by magnetism. Decter couldn’t deny he was genuinely liking her. They always could talk for hours about anything. He never felt close to anyone like this, but he couldn’t read her at all. He never dared to talk to her about this.

Arriving to the dig site, they could already hear the voices. That kind of place was rarely protected. Some turian locals surely taught the Hierarchy someone was here without authorization. They advanced and saw a young girl holding what seemed to be an artefact. A bit further, Decter saw two other scientists talking to a turian archaeologist. As this one saw the group arriving, he immediately addressed them:

“Finally! See those humans? They’re not supposed to be here! This is a turian site, I contacted the Hierarchy myself, and…”

Decter implied him to cease to talk. He wasn’t recognising their equipment, nothing military. But eventually, he pointed his rifle at them:

“What are doing here? This site is a property of the Turian Hierarchy, I advise you to stand down.”

They put their hands up, terrified. One of the scientists started to talk:

“What are _you_ doing? What have we done to have guns pointed at us?!  
_ Tell me your names and tell her to let go what lies in her hands, now!  
_ Alright… Alright…”

She put the artefact on the ground and started talking. 

“Um, right, my name is Sara Ryder, I’m an archaeologist and I’m not here to cause trouble, right? We’ve just heard of the dig site and wanted to check it out. I have a derogation. Here.”

The women gave Decter a datapad, who was giving them authorization to extract relics from the site. He gave it back and went to the shuttle to contact Receion:

“Captain Receion, this is Athens 1-1. We may have situation down here.  
_ Explain, Lieutenant.  
_ The humans have an authorization. I can’t take the artefact like that.  
_ I’m going to talk to our superior about this. However, you have to remain here until further notice.  
_ What do we do about the scientists?  
_ Keep them into the nearest camp. Immobilize their shuttle. Oh, and can you give me the name of their leader?  
_ Ryder.  
_ Shit. I’ll keep you posted. Receion, out.”

He went back to the dig site and lead everyone to the turian encampment. The intendant brought to the humans some food they could eat, and Decter left the camp to go back to the shuttle. Soon, Nera joined him.

“Why did you menace them?  
_ Better safe than sorry.  
_ They were unarmed, and clearly terrified.  
_ Those are the methods I learnt.  
_ Who taught them to you?  
_ My father. You surely know him.  
_ This is not a way to deal with civilians, Decter. You don’t have to be like him.  
_ I will never be. Do you hear me? Never.  
_ What makes you so sure?  
_ I don’t owe him anything. Not even a resemblance.  
_ In some sort, it reassures me.  
_ Why?  
_ Because I already like you the way you are right now.”

They stood here together hours, until dusk at least. The encampment was still calm, but there was a doubt to his mind. He had to find some information. One of the archaeologists showed him the databanks connected to the Hierarchy network. A vocal command permitted him to share his founds with his two companions. 

“Athens 1-1, 9th Platoon. ID 5448A. Log in.  
_ Access granted.  
_ Planet Millin, general information.  
_ Planet Millin is a ferrous core planet with a semi-arid climate at its surface. Core activity resulted in a recent multiplications of great scale seismic events at the surface. The gravitational pull permits the presence of an atmosphere and exotic plants permit to maintain a suitable oxygen level. Macro-biologic life forms are rare and aggressive. A small moon orbits the planet, denomination Kyzyl, and the general localization is the Athens solar system within the Horse Head Nebula cluster.  
_ Planet Millin, Hierarchy classification.  
_ Planet Millin is a class D world referring to the turian Hierarchy classifications of potential habitable worlds.  
_ Planet Millin, date of classification.  
_ Planet Millin, last classification as class D world was made in solar day January 6th, 2178.  
_ Logging out. Shit.”

As Decter was thinking of what he had learnt, and a few seconds later, a shot was fired in the camp. Each of the scientists were supposed to be unarmed. Something was going on. They just had the time to run through the camp as the humans were fleeing to them. Decter took his Phaeton rifle and pointed the turian trying to shoot the aliens down. They stopped firing as they saw Decter and his partners. The three humans were clearly terrified. He took a strong and sinister voice and addressed the other turian:

“Put this gun down right now and explain this before I lose my patience.  
_ Hey, you are the representative of the Hierarchy here, you should be defending us against that kind of intruders.  
_ I have two orders. Get the artefact and assure that those humans live. If you wanna stay here and wait for your death on a Class D planet that’s your business, not mine.  
_ How did you…  
_ The databanks. I heard of Millin when there was the incident. You are surely one of the survivors, thinking they can avoid death a second time. What kind of lifeform lies around here? What kept you alive the first month and what still protects you?  
_ The device… kept the monsters away. Most of the team went on the expedition after the one-month delay. We stayed here. We waited them for days. Only one video footage was received from them. Those beasts were enormous… and ferocious.  
_ A Prothean device I assume? You are outlaws, even to the Council. Do you really think the Hierarchy will have your back if this is discovered?  
_ It don’t have to be!  
_ This remains to be seen.  
_ If you tell anything, I promise to come back to kill you.  
_ Not if I do it first.”

A straight shot to the head of the turian. It came from Decter’s rifle. Then, the whole camp went silent, only the whirling wind could be heard. The other turian archaeologists didn’t take part in the hostilities. A few hours later, both Decter’s team, followed by the remaining turians of the colony, and the humans were extracted without any other harm. Also, an agreement between Alliance Systems and the turian Hierarchy gave the turians authorization to keep the artefact they were looking for.

Once on board of their frigate, Decter isolated himself into his cabin. For hours no one heard of him. Nera finally went after nine entire hours of total silence from him. He let her in, and she sat just next to him.

“I’m really beginning to look like him, don’t I?  
_ Why are you thinking this?  
_ Applying protocols into dangerous situations. That’s what he taught me, and I do it. Always. And on Millin it turned out bad. But the orders were followed, only this mattered to me on the moment. I don’t… want to be him.  
_ He’s admired, through all the galaxy.  
_ Wrong. His so-called heroic actions are admired. The torture of dozens of humans during the war are not. People don’t forget about war so easily.  
_ Listen, Decter. Even if you are bearing his name, you don’t have to change yourself just to be different, all right? Hey, as I said on Millin, stay just like you are, at least for me.”

He could feel her hand slipping on his and grabbing it. After a few seconds concentrating on what was happening, he realized that what she was thinking of him mattered. He imagined again his life without having met her and saw this could not be it anymore. He grabbed her neck with his other hand, and their faces were closing each other until his forehead was against hers. They just remained as this a few minutes before duty called.

\------------------------------

“All right, now you’re gonna ask for the third?  
_ Come on Decter… is it the last?  
_ No, there is a fourth.  
_ Do it. At least that one. I won’t force you to hear the last.  
_ Why?  
_ Because for some reason, this is the last, and you might not like that reason. Anyway, when was that one recorded?  
_ Just after being promoted to the Platoon’s lead, if I remember well.  
_ Let’s hear it.  
_ ID 5448A, audio log 34-7, entry three.”

“Hello, son. I know it has been a long time since we last talk, but I was occupied doing something useful for all of us. Your nomination at the head of the 9th Platoon is something you can be proud of, but this will be my last warning. Don’t go after the Collectors. Their goals are beyond our understanding, and it must stay that way. If we trigger a war, we won’t win it. They have more allies that they let know. But honours are on you today. Be proud to be who you are, Decter Arterius.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading !
> 
> PS : a few portraits were made by a very good friend of mine, here are the links
> 
> https://i.imgur.com/2JFCF8Q.png  
> https://i.imgur.com/n51pf8H.png  
> https://i.imgur.com/p0Mmbxl.png


End file.
